Fishburn Hedges

18.05.2010

The FA’s textbook ‘nip it in the bud’ strategy following Lord Triesman’s worryingly frank comments shows that they have learnt from crises past, but the real problem in this issue lies in how it plays out abroad, where it really matters for the World Cup bid.  

Many will rightly question whether the public interest has been served by this episode, and note the political angles in some of the reporting. It’s also extremely doubtful that the media in Spain, Russia or any of the other bidding countries would be party to such an entrapment so manifestly damaging to their own chances.

But before the PR industry congratulates the FA’s handling too quickly, it’s worth remembering that the real threat is not days of uproar in the UK press – most people in this country back the bid, and that’s unlikely to change – but in the damage done to the English bid in the eyes of the people whose support they really need. The FA did well to get their apologies in first, before those on the receiving end of his views had a chance to react.  But it’s just the start of a long road to recovery.

Football, and FIFA in particular, is still one of the most oblique industries in the world, characterised by corruption, backroom dealing and a general lack of transparency, as anyone who has tried to criticise Sepp Blatter will testify to. The World Cup bidding process, where characters like Jack Warner wield great influence, is a particularly impenetrable process to outside observers.

But like many British companies operating abroad, the English bid team have made a virtue of their ability to rise above the political jiggery-pokery, deliberately trying to draw a contrast with their rivals by presenting an image of professionalism, competence and principled ethics.

This echoes the British outlook on democracy, capitalism, governance, CSR and a whole host of other issues. We may be confident that we are right, but in seeking to convince others of the strength of our arguments we can sometimes alienate, leaving people feeling judged and looked down on.

It means that when episodes like this and other recent stories break, we often get little sympathy from our friends abroad.